1999 PlayerStation Holiday Buyers Guide: Sports

Sports As always, the PlayStation dominated in the gameplay arena of sports this year, while Sega's NFL2K grabbed the graphics crown. This year, EA to grab the top tier in each category, while upstart Fox showed up to play some hockey. We picked the best from each sports category, rather than five from each. Each of these kept us riveted for hours.

Madden NFL 2000 With newly updated defensive AI, more animations per player, and a deeper offensive play chart, Madden puts itself back on top of the pack this year. This is possibly the best Madden to date.

NFL Blitz 2000 Honorable mention: Even though NFL Blitz 2000 was better than last year's effort, the longevity of the series is in question. We make special mention of this game because if its high entertainment value. It's silly fun, it's more versatile than last year, it has a play editor, and four players can go at it, two-on-two.

NBA Live 2000 EA dug deep for this one. And with possibly no competition from 989 Studios, only Fox's ambitious title comes close. Still, this year's Live is one of EA's best.

NHL 2000 Tie: More realism, a faster frame rate, good fighting, real attributes of real players, and a deep feeling overall is what makes this top the charts in the hockey category.

NHL Championship 2000 Tie: With graphic detail to spare, a physics engine that's based on real life physics, total control over players (and a slight learning to curve to hurdle), Fox's NHL Championship came in such a second close that we couldn't ignore it.

FIFA 2000 EA has done it again, and with almost no contenders (no ISS this year, and Alexi Lalas Intl Soccer doesn't come close), it was easy. Better ball control, better ball physics, a completely updated roster and teams from Major League Soccer as well contributed to this superior soccer game. EA had a hard time getting to the top with FIFA in the last two years, but it finally made it.

Championship Motocross Starring Ricky Carmichael THQ nabbed the best of the motocross games of the year. And even with companies such as EA and 989 running to grab the market (and Acclaim's Jeremy McGrath delayed), THQ and Funcom easily took the crown. Great physics and handling outweigh any lack of courses and official aspects it's missing.

Knockout Kings 2000 The boxing game with all of the licenses in the world is a much more fun game this year around. It's faster and more responsive, and the overall depth is visibly noticeable. A good boxing game that has no serious competition. [Ed's note: Ready To Rumble Boxing is only viable alternative, but while it's arcade style is instantly attractive, the game is as shallow as a two-year-old wading pool.]

Steer Clear of...

Alexi Lalas International Soccer: Not a terrible game, but one that simply offers nothing new.

High Heat Baseball 2000: A simplistic arcade game using last year's PC engine. Skip it, folks.

Supercross Circuit: 989 Studios' motocross game is a decent attempt at motocross, but it's not worth the money they're charging.

Supercross 2000: Even worse than 989 Studios' game, this awkward, slow, and frustrating game is the pits. Stay away from this merde!